Sarah Slean has mad skillz – let’s just put that out there. She is often compared to Tori Amos and Fiona Apple, deservedly so. However, Sarah adds an intensity and a goth-like quality not present in her two doppelgangers. More intense than Tori Amos, you say? Well, in some ways, yes. Throw in a bit of PJ Harvey, Beth Orton, and perhaps Billie Holiday and you have a better picture.

To look at her, you would never suspect such incredible sound could emerge from a frame and face so slight. And yet she is capable of singing in the sweetest whisper and the fiercest growl, all accompanied by a creative, luscious piano (and on this EP, often a small orchestra to boot).

As with many other standout artists, our girl hails from the Great White North. As such, much of the country has had little occasion to hear/see her music – when in the US, she is mostly confined to the Great Lakes/Northeast area. I am confident that will change, however, once more people catch onto her beautiful sound. This EP is actually her third release: she also put out a full-length album entitled Blue Parade and another EP called Universe.

Track Listing

1. Eliot
2. Book Smart, Street Stupid
3. Sweet Ones
4. High
5. Twin Moon
6. Me & Jerome
7. John the 23rd

We start out with Eliot, a song that received a good deal of radio play on my alternate radio station in upstate New York, and by far my least favorite. The comparison to Tori is most apt here, as Sarah fingers a catchy yet quaint, modern yet old-time, piano part that trills along to her cabaret ode to Eliot. It starts out rather quiet, but builds to a full-out, orchestral chorus. I’m not terribly fond of the melody, but the words are hauntingly reminiscent of Elliot Smith (obviously unintentional).
Workers and lovers make their living space neat
Bent out of shape over what to eat
I dream of Eliot but I am discreet 'cause it's sometimes wise
Just to shut your eyes.

How sure how right?
Can anyone be on sight?
I said I had Hope.
I lied
Three stars

Next, we have Book Smart, Street Stupid, another song very much in a cabaret style, very Judy Garland. Again, the lyrics here are beautiful:
The rain still never ending
The sadness in my heart
Would light
And glow in the dark

Oh this time will never change
Time just wears a prettier face
I'm book smart
Street stupid

Sarah croons this one giving you a vivid image of her sad self, wandering around the rainy streets of a big city, lamenting her own melancholy. Definitely a bittersweet movie ending song. Three-and-a-half stars

Sweet Ones gets a little more upbeat, and is very reminiscent of some Fiona Apple songs. We get some nice accompanying finger snaps here as we’re led into a slow rocker with a steady, growing beat and a full band. The best part of this song is the bridge when the band all but cuts out, leaving a sweet chorus of Sarahs harmonizing with each other, only to return to our original upbeat melody. A fun (although not lighthearted) song. Four stars

The remainder of the songs are drawn from Sarah’s previous releases. High comes from Blue Parade and is a gorgeous, intricate, complex number. Sarah drops some of the jazzy vibrato we hear in earlier tracks, and blends in perfectly with the beautiful piano and electric guitar arrangement. Much of the song is actually comprised of these wonderful instrumentals, but the lyrics are intriguing too:
Hey, boy, come sleep
I will turn the ocean into sky
How do you keep....
When the love... is making you high
Out of sight, out of mind
High........
Four stars

Twin Moon also comes from Blue Parade, and is the most introspective, dreamlike song on the EP. It is a broken-heart, lost love type of song that winds around beautiful melodies and dark piano parts. Sarah croons:
Oh, twin moon
You are my twin moon
Take me up-sky
So I can kiss you
Drink your starlight
Five stars

Me and Jerome comes off of the EP Universe, and brings back a little of the smoky jazz feel we had in the first few tracks, although it definitely has an alternative bent. Fluid piano and bongos dominate the song, with Sarah’s versatile voice weaving in between the instrumentals. Very well done. Four stars

And lastly, we have John the 23rd, my favorite song on the EP. Beautiful, sultry, ethereal harmonies that stretch over saddened lyrics. I tried to do some research on this song to figure exactly what it’s about, and I think it refers to Pope John the 23rd whose diaries were found after his death, detailing his encounters with the Madonna and Christ. Regardless, this is a wonderful song for any kind of meditation or just thoughtful listening:

Me and John the 23rd have
Tasted these sour words and I
Just can't shake this belief that it's not a
Test of devotion or something you read

From the dawn of time
They taught her why
Not to ask those questions
And never cry

A plate of stars
Could never take the place of the
Boy who swore to catch me
As I run through the rye
Five stars

All in all, Sarah Slean is a major talent who, while she may not have mass market appeal, is sure to grab the attention of alternative music fans everywhere. This EP is not her best work (for that, I would go to Blue Parade or a more recent album, Nightbugs), but it is full of beauty and promise and all the things that make Sarah Slean such an appealing, unique artist.

You can probably find this EP for $4 or less, or order it from http://www.sarahslean.com

RIYL
Tori Amos
Fiona Apple
Rufus Wainwright
Radiohead


Recommended: Yes

Great Music to Play While: Listening